Watchdog urges action over prisoner's repeated suicide bids

The prisons watchdog today urged action after an inmate tried to kill himself three times while in custody at Castlerea.

Inspectors highlighted their concerns about the “unfortunate man” being held in the special care unit in their report on conditions at the jail.

The prisoner has made at least three attempts to take his life in the “fairly recent past” and it is feared the prison regime is making him worse, they found. The Prison Inspectorate said: “It is clear that the prison is not improving him in any way and may in fact be extremely detrimental to his future.”

Prison bosses told the inspectorate they were actively reviewing the inmate’s situation.

The report – the first in two years – found there was a problem with overcrowding and there were a number of key services lacking which were impacting on the rehabilitation of inmates.

Almost a third of the recommendations after the last visit in 2004 were not acted upon, it stated.

The prison still has no psychologist, no librarian and just one welfare and probation officer, despite advice to employ another.

The report also noted the library appeared to be closed most of the time, the computer workshop was shut and recommendations on the counselling services were not acted on.

“All of these adds up to poor support and rehabilitation opportunities for the prisoners which should be rectified,” the inspectorate said.

Several inmates complained about their frustration with solicitors not turning up in court, not being contactable, and in some cases, not handing over legal papers when inmates were trying to change solicitor.

The inspectorate urged prison bosses to look into the issue and resolve it.

The prison inspector said he met with two of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe’s killers who again complained that they qualified for early release under the Good Friday Agreement.

The inspector told them he had known Garda McCabe and had expressed his sympathy to his widow and family, and would note their concerns.

The overcrowding problem, especially in the remand section, is expected to be resolved with the ongoing construction of an additional unit.

The jail was not entirely drug free but better than other prisons in the state, the report found.

It concluded the prison was overall well-managed.